Tradition Tuesday - October Traditions

Fall’s Beauty:

Make an annual trip to see Autumn in all of it’s glory.  Make a picnic lunch to enjoy together amongst the fall leaves.  Gather leaves and purchase pumpkins, cornstalks etc. to decorate the house with.

Columbus Day:

Review stories of his life and put pictures up.  Have an Italian meal for dinner in his honor.  The internet is full of fun and easy craft ideas for this day.

Family Cemetery:

Make a "family cemetery" with tombstones for each of your family members.

Magic Pumpkin Patch:

Tell your children that this year you have found some magic seeds to grow pumpkins.  Gather your kids together and give them each 3-5 pieces of candy corn, the “magic pumpkin seeds”. Have them bury each piece of candy in the front or backyard and place a toothpick marker for where they buried their seeds.  While they are sleeping, place a small pumpkin on each place they planted a seed.  Watch in the morning when they are amazed by the beautiful pumpkins their magic seeds have grown into.  Take a picture of each child with their favorite pumpkin.

Halloween Family Night:

On the Monday before Halloween, have a special family night to carve pumpkins and tell ‘scary’ stories.  For dinner you may wish to do “Dinner in a Pumpkin” or try some "ghoulash" or "Spooketti" with a "blood" red drink. Make "bones" (breadsticks) to go along.

Halloween Poetry:

Gather your family to create spooky, funny or cute Halloween poems.  Have each person read their poem aloud during dinner or at your Halloween party.  Once your poems are perfected, type them on the computer in a Halloween-y looking script on ivory paper.  Then collage the poems onto one sheet and feature this keepsake in a black frame sitting out among the Halloween décor for all to see each year.

The Ghost Hunter:

This is a game that you can play with children of all ages and is fun year after year.  Take white tissues, fold them in the middle and glue on plastic eyes, which can be found at most craft stores.  Poke a hole in the top and insert a piece of string and tie a knot on the end.  You can make as many as you want, but be sure there are at least a few for each ghost hunter to capture.  String up your little tissue ghosts all over the house and/or outside on tree branches and plants.  Right before it gets dark have your children collect as many “ghosts” as they can find.  The winner is given the official ghost hunter crown (you can make this or just buy one at a local costume shop). Take a picture of the “official ghost hunter” of the family and put it in a sectioned frame, add a new picture to the frame each year.

Tradition Tuesday - September Traditions

Back to School Breakfast:

Make a special breakfast to start the new school year off right.  Make an elaborate feast, anything but the usual cereal and toast.  Let your children select the menu and do the grocery shopping together to prepare this special meal.  Wake up early and set the table with your best dishes, turn on background music and really make the meal special.

The night before, you may want to talk about new “school” year resolutions.  Have each child write down their resolutions to share if they wish at the Back to School Breakfast.  Reinforce their commitment by laminating and posting their list someplace visible, and planning a special reward when they have succeeded.

Labor Day Feast:

Have the whole family help in preparing a special Labor Day picnic.  Play charades of some of the different occupations that keep our nation strong.  After the picnic give everyone a piece of paper and ask them to write down and draw what they want to be when they grow up.  Adults can join in too!

Celebrating Grandparents:

Grandparent’s Day is celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day.  The holiday was created to remind grandchildren to tap into the wisdom and heritage their grandparents provide.  There are many things to do on this day, send a letter/card, write a poem or even put on a special play.  Another is to complete a grandparent interview with a variety of questions.  What were your goals and aspirations? What was your childhood like? What advice do you want to pass on to your children and grandchildren, etc.  This will give your child the chance to see how the world has changed since their grandparents were young, and give your parents the opportunity to share stories.

Mapping Nonna and Opa:                                                                                                           Can you say grandma and grandpa in Italian? Use this list of words that kids use for grandparents in other countries.  Get out the globe or copy of a world map, and have your children find the countries These words refer to grandma and grandpa in the following countries:

•             Poland -- Babcia and Dziadek,

•             Germany -- Oma and Opa,

•             India -- Nana-ji and Nani-ji,

•             Korea -- Halmonee and Halabujee,

•             Greece -- Ya-ya and Pa-pu,

•             Japan -- Oba-chan and Oji-chan,

•             China -- Popo and Gong-gong,

•             Italy -- Nonna and Nonno,

•             Israel -- Savta and Saba,

•             Cuba -- Abuelita and Abuelito

Visit a Nursing Home:

Did you know that 60 percent of nursing home residents never have a visitor? Schedule a trip to a local nursing home, and have your children adopt "grandparents" or "secret pals" to cheer.

Tradition Tuesday - August Traditions

Left-Hander’s Day: 

August 13th is Left-Hander’s day.  Celebrate by making dinner (if you are right handed) using normal equipment, but with your left hand:

•             Stir food in pans

•             Fill & pour kettle

•             Pour from milk/measuring jugs

•             Open tins

•             Peel vegetables/fruit

•             Use microwave controls (often positioned on right of the equipment)

•             Wash up (draining board is often wrong side if you are holding the brush in other                             hand, so you have to pass wet dishes across your body to drain.

•             Using spatulas (angled ones go the wrong way for left hand use)

•             Cutting bread (wonky slices using right handed knife in left hand)

•             Eating & drinking - reverse cutlery and have drink in left hand

•             Cutting - using right-handed scissors in left hand is an excellent example of totally right-biased design that doesn't work well.

If there is a member of the family who is left-handed, celebrate them for all they put up with in this right-hander’s world.  

                                                                                             

Water Day: 

Did you know the whole month of August is Water Quality Month?  Celebrate by having a water party complete with water balloon volleyball, slip and slide and water gun wars.  Invite friends and neighbors to join in the celebration!  Make sure to drink a tall glass of water today and appreciate how clean and unpolluted it is.

Summer Adventure:

Tell your children and spouse not to make any plans for a specific day/night/weekend and keep the rest to yourself.  Plan a whole day of places and events that will be fun and special for each member of your family.  Make up small cards telling what the next part of the adventure is and put them in numbered envelopes. Let each member have an envelope to open and share what the next part of your adventure will be.